Vividly memorable: The dancing flavours of Mexican scrambled eggs make the dish an excellent hangover cure

In my early twenties, I took a break from work to hitch across Mexico and Guatemala. Alongside the Mayan temples, buzzing markets and Mestizo music, one thing remains vividly memorable: breakfast. Huevos revueltos, eaten on a stool next to the woman frying it. The custard-yellow eggs, with ripe Mexican tomatoes, onions and chillies, enlivened the senses after any mezcal-induced fug or a night sleeping in a hammock.

So here I am, 15 years on, trying to recreate some of those sunny flavours in a gloomy February kitchen. I turn to Diana Kennedy’s recipe from The Art Of Mexican Cooking and Cholita Diaz’s recipe in Darina Allen’s Ballymaloe cookbook. Both advocate lard for the scrambling.

Brits used to eat lard guiltlessly. It has less saturated fat than butter, so it’s slightly better for you, and it allows you to cook at a higher temperature. But is it worth using with eggs? Initially, I think the eggs cooked in lard are a tad creamier than my others. Unfortunately, after a bit of scrutiny, I can’t taste much difference between the two. But lard is trad-itional – so I’ll keep it.

Kennedy also stipulates breaking the eggs into a bowl and just mixing: ‘Do not beat.’ Whisking does seem to make them more airy and, as I want larger, voluptuous folds, I like this unconventional technique.

Nigella Lawson on http://www.nigella.com says of her Mexican eggs: ‘This is not only the best way to start the day but the best way to end it too.’ I’m excited by that.

Not only does she include spring onions (contentious, everyone else uses white onions), she also mixes in fried soft corn tortilla strips. My testers find the tortilla strips interesting but I don’t like them. I keep picking them out.

The next issue is the onions. On forking Kennedy’s white onion huevos revueltos and Nigella’s spring onion one together, the sautéed white onions seem to be a tad sweeter. As British tomatoes are quite acidic, it’s a suitable balance. And the flavours are closer to those I’m trying to recreate.

No one specifies a type of tomato but many of my British chefs scoop out the seeds and dice the flesh. I can’t help feeling insulted on the tomato’s behalf. It’s all delicious so why waste it?

Cheese is another divisive issue. It hadn’t occurred to me that it would feature but now I remember that soft mozzarella-like stringy Oaxacan cheese that appeared in my meals so frequently.

Rick Bayless, an American chef who specialises in Mexcian food, suggests one cup of cubed Monterey Jack or brick cheese on http://www.fronterafiesta.com. I substitute with Cheddar in my tests, although it’s more West Country than authentically Mexican.

Thomasina Miers’s breakfast in Mexican Food Made Simple suggests 100g Pecorino or Lancashire cheese. Oaxican cheese is similarly young and mild, so I try Lancashire – but it’s no cousin of the Oaxican stringy stuff. Sadly, I don’t think any cheese in Britain is worth pursuing. And you can forget chorizo too – it rudely dominates the other flavours.

To finish, there are a few vital notes to be made. Kennedy stipulates Serrano chillies – they’re a hot and tangy element. Bayless’s serving of avocado and fresh coriander with this breakfast is terrific.

Whether it’s a hangover cure or a pick-me-up, for me it’s all about those lively Mexican flavours dancing around the mouth.

In a bowl, mix the eggs gently, don’t beat them or season them. Heat the lard in a small to medium frying pan on medium heat. Lower the heat. Cook the onion, tomato and chillies for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion has softened but it must not brown.

Make sure heat is low now. Pour the eggs into the skillet and scramble them – don’t take your eye off them. If they cook too fast and are sticking to the bottom of the pan, remove them from the heat for a few seconds then pop them back on. Season them now with 0.25tsp sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Don’t beat too hard; you want creamy cloud-like folds. After approximately 3 minutes, take them off the hob. Let them set. Garnish with the diced avocado and chopped fresh coriander. Serve with tortilla or any bread you wish and you can drizzle with a hot chilli sauce.